The newspaper working to serve as the voice of the people
Natsue Yashima, 27, journalist in the Chugoku Shimbunʼs copy editing department,
was a member of the news-communications group Kudentai

Morning of August 6, 1945
Entrance to Sandankyo Gorge in the area of Togouchi-cho (now part of Akiota-cho),
about 32 kilometers to the northwest as the crow flies from Hiroshima City.
“I slept well last night.”“Ah, this is so nice!”“Natsue, it was good for you to come here, donʼt you think? You need a breaksometimes.”“Yeah, thatʼs true. Thanks.”
8:15 a.m.
(FLASH)“What was that…？”(BOOM)”…Did a bomb fall around here?“”What?”“And, then…”(SHAKE, RATTLE)“This is something serious!”

“I heard an incredible bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.”“So many wounded are coming to visit my relatives in Togouchi. ”“Maʼam, are you in there? ““Eh, you must be kidding.”“The guys are running around, saying theyʼre gonna get on a truck and head to city
to help out.”“Mom…! Sis…”“I want to get on the truck and go back to Hiroshima, too.““Iʼm worried about my family and imagine everyone at the newspaper needs to go inand work.”“Yeah, probably.”“Itʼs dark, so be careful.”

“Only group members can ride on the truck.”“Iʼm a journalist!”“Youʼre a journalist? You can ride with us until Imuro.”
Sandankyo Gorge, Kake-cho, Imuro-cho, Kabe-cho, Yokogawa, Ota River…“You canride with us until Kabe.”Around 1:00 p.m., August 7“What on earth is this?”“What happened!?”“Hiroshima is gone…!”

One uranium bomb was dropped by the Enola Gay, a U.S. military bomber
At the time, I had no way of knowing that the first atomic bomb in history had
destroyed Hiroshima.
“Oh…”“I can see the Chugoku Shimbun building!”“The deadline is close at hand.”“Thereʼs no headline yet?”
Kaminagarekawa-cho (now Ebisu-cho in Hiroshimaʼs Naka Ward)

Starting on April 21, 1945, based on a directive from Japanʼs national government,
the Chugoku Shimbun became the only newspaper at the time distributed in
Hiroshima Prefecture.
“Yes. Iʼm hurrying.”(The copy editing department is a section that creates headlines and does pagelayout work for articles written by staff writers.)
Ms. Yashima, youʼve become a real journalist.
“Nice headline!”“Thank you!”“Everyone, please be safe!”“Itʼs over.”“Ms. Yashima?”“Wow, Ms. Hirose!”“Ms. Yashima, you made it!”“Yes. I took a vacation starting August 5 and was in Sandankyo Gorge.”“Many employees are still unaccounted for.”“Paper, rotary presses, everything was incinerated.”“We canʼt publish the newspaper in this situation.”“Iʼm going home to Hiratsuka-cho to look for my mom.”“Itʼs hard to say this, but even if you go there…”“…Even so, I want to see it for myself.”Hiratsuka-cho (now Nishihiratsuka-cho in Hiroshimaʼs Naka Ward), about 500 meters
south of the Chugoku Shimbun building“Mom!”

“My neighbor, Ms. Yamada!”“Do you know where my mother and sister escaped?”“Sorry, I donʼt know.”“Mom! Sis!”“Itʼs me, Natsue.”
They donʼt seem to be here…Neither one.
“Natsue Yashima, at the newspaper”“They must be alive somewhere!”“Everyone, listen up!”“Formulate a Kudentai oral communications group to give people hope.This is anorder that came from the military.”
Temporary Hiroshima Prefectural offices were established on August 7 in theHiroshima Higashi (East) Police Station―a building that survived the fires from theatomic bombing in its location to the east of the Chugoku Shimbun―and from thattime initiated rescue and relief operations.
“Kudentai?”“Since we canʼt publish the newspaper, we need to deliver necessary information
orally, using our voices instead.”“Letʼs go get some information on relief stations and food distribution.”“All right!”“Ms. Yashima, we need your help!”

Since no information is available amid the chaos, everyone must be feeling anxious.
”I can do it!”“Without paper, we have to deliver the newspaper using our voices.”“Okay, letʼs do it.”
Then, at the places we visit…
Iʼm sure to find my mom and sister.

“Here we go.”“Okay!”

“The military is doing everything it can for rescue and relief efforts.”“Remain calm: rescue operations are making steady progress.”“Remain calm: Hiroshima prefectural and city governments are distributing rice balls,biscuits, and canned food at relief stations.”“Police officers in large numbers are arriving from various places in Hiroshima
Prefecture, and doctors and nurses are rushing to Hiroshima from Okayama andTottori.”“If possible for you, please return to work immediately.”“OK, letʼs move to the next spot.”“Okay”“Remain calm:”“Remain calm:”Despite the horrific conditions…
When we say “Remain calm,” it only makes them feel a little better…
I still canʼt find my mom and others in my family.
Kudentaiʼs work continued day after day.
“Excuse me”

“Are there any relief stations around?”“Fukuromachi National School is the closest.”“Thanks for your help.”“Where can I see lists of people housed at shelters?”“The Chugoku Shimbun has posted lists.”“Oh, I see. Thanks.”
People are looking for the information we have!

“Many people are coming to help in rescue operations.”Letʼs hang in there.
“Iʼm back…”“Your voice is so hoarse. Thank you for your hard work day in and day out.”“Thank you.”

“The new bomb seems to have been an atomic bomb.”“Atomic bomb?!”(In the early morning hours of August 7, Japanʼs government got its hands on a radio
broadcast of the U.S. president announcing the use of an atomic bomb on
Hiroshima. However, the Japanese military opposed disclosing the information to thepublic, fearing its devastating effect on the morale of the Japanese people. Insteadof referring to an atomic weapon, Japanʼs Imperial Headquarters made anannouncement at 3:30 p.m. on August 7 that used the wording “a new type ofbomb”)
The military and Special Higher Police officials said to “never use the word ʻatomicbomb.ʼ” That was their order. If you mention the word, youʼll be punished.”(A special unit of the Hiroshima police department within the Special Higher Police
was in charge of censoring newspaper coverage.)Weʼre not allowed to use the word even in these circumstances?
However, people started to speak of “Pika-don,” and use of that phrase soon spread.
The Special Higher Police didnʼt prohibit use of that term, which was derived fromthe bombʼs flash of light and the sound of its explosion.

“Doctors are also arriving from outside Hiroshima Prefecture.”“Remain calm: Food is also being distributed at relief stations.”“Hey, arenʼt you the daughter of the Yashimas?”“What? Oh, hi. How are you?”“Iʼm glad to see you made it, too.”“Your mom is staying at a relief station on Hijiyama.”“Really?”“Ah, Ms. Yashima, never mind about us, go and see her right away.”“Thank you so much…”

“Mom!”“Natsue? ““Iʼm so happy youʼre alive!”
When the bomb exploded, Natsueʼs mother, Mine, had been mobilized to join in thework of dismantling buildings for the creation of fire lanes in the area of Tsurumi-cho,and her older sister, Mitsue, a teacher, was at her school in Minamidanbara-cho. Bothsurvived.

Kudentaiʼs operations lasted until the end of the war.
Soon, Natsue found herself bedridden because she had been vomiting blood fromexposure to radiation.
(A copy of a note Natsue had attached to her application for an Atomic BombSurvivorʼs Certificate she submitted to the Hyogo Prefectural government in 1978.
(Provided by Daijo Yamada, her oldest son))
Employees were stricken by acute health effects from radiation exposure even aftersurviving the atomic bombing.
Despite that, they continued their work to resume publication of the Hiroshima
newspaper as if sweeping aside their own A-bombing experiences and grief fromlosing loved ones.